Thing # 23 - Summarize Thoughts About Program

Ahhh! I am finished but I feel that this is just the beginning. This has been a fun and great learning experience. I have learned so much and appreciate the fact that Spring Branch has offered 23 Things. I would love to continue this learning process.

1. What were your favorite discoveries or exercises on this learning journey?
Wow, there are just too many favorites. I learned so much from each discovery. But since I have to name a few...The online image generators was just fun, fun, fun. Library Thing was great because it helps me to organize my reading. I also enjoyed the wikis, podcasts/videocasts, youtube/teachertube and nings.

2. How has this program assisted or affected your lifelong learning goals?
I have always tried to keep up with what is out there in the library/technology field, but there is just so much and it changes so rapidly. It is important to try to be up-to-date or at least be one step ahead. With programs like 23 Things it will help me to accomplish that goal.

3. Were there any take-a-ways or unexpected outcomes from this program that surprised you?
Pretty much all of it. I love to learn new things. I have heard of many of the discovery activities mentioned, but I still cannot believe what all is out there. As I have stated before in my blog, I am not one to write about myself or make comments if I don't' have anything to say but this has forced my out of my comfort zone. :)

4. What could we do differently to improve upon this program’s format or concept?
I cannot think of anything that could have been done differently. This program has taken the latest technology advances and have organized them and put them together in one spot. Thank you for having this available to participate in.

5. If we offered another discovery program like this in the future, would you choose to participate?
Most definitely! This has been a great hands on experience for learning. I was learning, but in a way I was also playing. We have to keep up with the way things are changing so rapidly. I think other districts need to follow Spring Branch's lead and have programs like this for their staff.

6. How would you describe your learning experience in ONE WORD or in ONE SENTENCE, so we could use your words to promote 23 Things learning activities?
What an informative and great hands-on experience!

7. Now go and comment on some of the other Players' blogs?
Will do! Thank you for the opportunity to participate.

Thing # 22 - Nings

I perused over the suggested Nings and the two that I was most interested in were Texas School Librarians Ning and Teacher Librarian Network Ning. I did sign in and become a member and I plan on joining the "High School Librarians Group" in the Texas School Librarians Ning and join the "Web 2.0 in Library Group" in the Teacher Librarian Network. I have been a member of TLC and LM-NET, but these Nings give an extra dimension (such as the Blogs and Groups) to keep up with the ongoings in the library field and to keep up with what I am interested in.

Thing #21 - Podcasts and Videocasts

I l..o..v..e using Photostory, MovieMaker and Camtasia Studio. For orientation, at the beginning of the year last year my co-worker videotaped the orientation and I then took what was on the video and added music, additional info and animation using MovieMaker. I like to change the orientation presentations each year, because new things are added and also things change. I recently purchased a Flip Video Camcorder (which I love!) and I think it would be a good investment for the library to purchase one to make videos, etc. Throughout the year I posted several videos on Blackboard about the "Happenings in the Library!" And I even posted a podcast on Blackboard (ie. announcing Teen Read Week). A few years ago I sent a video to the person in charge of the district webpages and they posted the video on the campus library district webpage. However, now we (district librarians) are supposed to have more access to the campus library district webpage and I would like to post more of these videos and podcasts sharing the "Happenings in the Library!" for more patrons to see.

I currently also use Camtasia Studio 2 software (which the library purchased). Camtasia Studio software is a screen video capture program. You download Camtasia Studio 6 and try it out I believe for a 30 day period. I have found that basically these programs all work the same. At first, it did take some time but once you get the hang of it and organize it, it is fun, fun! These videos are just a shortened version of "orientation" and "happenings in the library".

Thing # 20 - Explore YouTube and TeacherTube

I had fun with this discovery activity and the directions to embed were helpful. I thought this was a cute video that I got from TeacherTube. Some 4th Graders created new Chocolate Candy Bar Sensations. What a great assignment!

What a great video search engine...Blinkx. This will probably be blocked by the district where I work. For awhile the district blocked YouTube, but now it is available. I will have to check Blinkx to see if it is blocked when I return. I am going to try Zamzar out later. It seems that I posted a video using the software Camtasia (which the library bought) on Blackboard and it would not work. I am going to use Zamzar to see if I can convert the avi extension to a wmv and see if it will then work on Blackboard.

Thing # 19 - Web 2.0 Award List

What a great list! I've had fun going through the list. I did not go through each one, but basically picked the ones that "caught my eye" so to speak. When I went to Furl, the site for Diigo came up. I use Diigo for social bookmarking. As expressed before in one of my other entries I stated that I really like using Diigo. I love, love Library Thing and have had a good experience working with Google Docs. I recently was introduced to Biblio when I was cataloging some videos, but never really got the chance to delve into it. WorldCat was interesting. When I typed in a search for a book, it listed local libraries that had the book and citations were also available. This is one that I might use quite often. Lulu had a "Rare Book" section that was interesting as well. Could be used to locate books no longer in print. I liked Yourminis for widgets.

As for my personal use I had such fun and laughed and laughed when I explored with HairMixer. My sisters would love this one. Since I am a music fan and seem to always get the lyrics wrong, I had fun with Last.fm and LyricsMode. When my nephew was looking for a home he introduced me to Zillow and I have been using it ever since.

Thing # 18 - Online Productivity Tools

I am using Google Docs, so I downloaded Open Office to peruse through it. After spending some time exploring, these are my following thoughts...

The advantages of Google Docs and Open Office:
1. Free
2. Accessible
3. Provides basic functionality (ie. Word processing, Spreadsheet)
4. Import and Export existing documents
5. Used with Blogs

The disadvantages of Google Docs and Open Office:
1. Only access documents if you have Internet
2. Security (saved on a different server other than yours)

Thing #17 - Rollyo

The video link was helpful. I can see where Rollyo would be a useful research tool. There would be less time wasted on searching and more time researching. Searches would be limited to reliable sources using those websites that are entered. I registered and edited an existing list of websites for Economics. Click on the link to view http://rollyo.com/kubada/ecomonics/.

Thing # 16 - Wikis

A lot of interesting information on wikis. I can see where wikis can in used in the library possibly for book reviews, book clubs, different genres and an author wiki (ie. Stephenie Meyer), just to name a few. I learned that wikis are ways of collecting ideas, sharing knowledge and collaborating; however, since the content of a wiki can be edited and is prone to being subjective, or strongly influenced by opinion it may not be the most reliable source of information. On the other hand, when given as part of an assignment it would be a great way for student to develop and collaborate on a project.

Thing # 15 - Web 2.0, Library 2.o and the Future of Libraries

Each one of these articles was interesting to read and gave me a better understanding of 2.o. I see schools changing to keep up with emerging technology at a rapid pace. I see some who are more advanced and comfortable with technology and others who are not and become overwhelemed. I see some wanting the library as a haven for a quiet place to read and relax, while others like the conversations. Web 2.o is a way to discover and learn new ways to meet the needs of our patrons in order to make learning exciting and something they can relate to. We can help teachers integrate Web 2.0 into their curriculum as well as promote the enjoyment of reading.

Library Thing # 14 - Technorati and How Tags Work

Okay, I played around with Technorati last night. Boy, it sure is filled with a lot of info. I finally had to tell myself to stop!!!... I definitely liked their "popular" feature with favorites of movies, videos, books, etc. Rather interesting what people are interested in. I don't think that I would use Technorati on a regular basis as I would some of the others Things on this online course that I have learned, but I know I would probably use it every so often. I typed in the search "School Library Learning 2.0" and for the post I came up with 261, for the tag search I came up with 28 and for the directory search I came up with 60. I did include the "Popular News" widget on my blog. I know there is a blog capability on Blackboard, but since it has been changed and I'm not sure about "rights" etc. I would love to add some of these widgets to that blog.

As for the tags, I think they are wonderful. They help with using less time for searching and help organize ones searches. Sometimes I can be quite anal, so I like the organization benefit.

Thing # 13 - Tagging and Discovering Delicious

I have heard of del.ici.ous before, but since I attended TLA in April I have been using Diigo for social bookmarking. I like it I guess because I am used to it and their are several things you can do such as highlight and post sticky notes. I was a little apprehensive about beginning social bookmarking because at first I thought all my bookmarks would be made public. I soon realized that this was not the case. This activity has given me the opportunity to familiarize myself with del.ici.ous. Again, I like the fact that one can select whether they wish to have their bookmarking shared or to keep them personal for your own personal use. I think the tags are really useful especially when bringing up all the sites under that tag. That is really a time saver. I can see where social bookmarking would come in handy for classes to have access to certain websites. Any opinions on Diigo??

Thing #12 Creating Community Through Commenting

Geez! This has to be the hardest one for me yet. After I read the activities that were posted for this Thing, the first thing I did was to post to 5 or more of the Library2Play participants and boy am I glad I did. It helped me to relax and calm my apprehensions for posting. It also made me step out of my comfort zone.

This is a good way to share your thoughts and ideas but this is a challenge for me because I really don't like to post about myself. For these assignments, when I post I have a tendency to post like I am the only one who is going to read them. I did not even think about leaving questions. I have read a lot of post by the other participants and it has been a great experience for me to go through and see all the wonderful ideas and suggestions that others have made.

There are quite a few blogs to follow, but the ones that I have most recently followed are Tammy Worcester (who offers ways and ideas for technology integration) and The Goddess of YA Literature Teri Lesesne.

Thanks for helping me to work on conquering this challenge.

Thing # 11 - Library Thing

I love LibraryThing. Personally, it is a great resource for me in order to keep up with what I have read so I can make recommendations. Also, I like the recommendations it gives based on the books in which I have read and I can also make a list of books I want to read. This will also help me find reviews on books.

I signed up for an account and joined three groups, Read YA List, What Are You Reading Now, and Librarian Who LibraryThing. I even put a widget on my blog; however, I had to put it at the bottom. It did not look good on the side. Each time I finish a book I am adding it to LibraryThing. I can always update my widget. Again, this is a great and useful source. Oh, yea! I added the LibraryThing blog to my RSS feed in Google Reader.

Thing # 10 - Online Image Generator

Now, this was fun! I could just play and play. I have used the website cooltext.com (Cool Text Graphics Generator) before because I have used it many times to post text to the campus library page on Blackboard. For this assignment, I used Comic Creator for the Bart Simpson image and Big Huge Labs (Mosaic Maker) for the "books on chocolate" image. For the library, there many ways one could use these generators from making library passes, to promoting and advertising activities in the library. Science, English, Social Studies, and Fine Arts classes could use these generators as alternative ways as products for assignments. For me so far, I have had the most fun with this assignment.

Thing # 9 Useful Library-Related Blogs and News Feeds

Wow! There I so many I can see where it can be a little confusing and overwhelming. I have used Bloglines, so I am familiar with that one. I liked perusing through Edublog and Technorati. Since I have bookmarked some of the blogs/feeds sites, I will make myself a mental note to go back and spend a little more time perusing.

Thing # 8 - RSS Feeds and Readers

I was introduced to RSS feeds at one of our district library meetings by one of my fellow librarians. She was showing us through the use of the district's databases. I was really intrigued by this because of having to search the site you need on a daily basis to see what is new; with the feed, the information is automatically sent to you. This takes a lot of wasted time out of the process. I have already set up a few feeds from Google Reader, Bloglines and from Ebsco. Maybe I should just condense them into one, but they are all so good in one way or another.

Thing # 7 - Cool Google Tools

I very much like Google Tools and one can spend a lot of time just going through all it has to offer. I have already set up and use my iGoogle homepage. There are so many gadgets to choose from that my homepage can change quite often. I set up my google calendar to help me remember appointments, birthdays, holidays, etc. I have already used google maps. It is amazing the details the images show. I have set up a few alerts and google documents has much to offer. There are many possibilities how the google tools can be used in the library. For instance, the calendar can be used to announce programs, author visits, and the like of events going on in the library. A good "Google" reference source was given to me by one of the Technology Integration Specialist on campus. The title is "Google Tools for Teaching and Learning" by Tammy Worcester.

Thing # 6 - Mashups and 3rd Party Sites

I have played and played until I'm exhausted. I have learned so much about mashups and 3rd party sites. There is just so much that is available to use with your images, etc. I feel that I am behind knowing what is out there and I do try to keep up...Thanks to Spring Branch for having this online course available. I made a librarian trading card and liked using the mosaic maker, cd cover, movie poster, and I could go on and on. I am going to share with one of the teachers on campus and her students the CD cover. One of her assignments is to create a cd cover after they do research in the library. I think they would enjoy using it.

Thing # 5 - Explore Flickr

Wow! What an awesome site for images, etc. I have heard of Flickr before at conferences and meetings, but I never really sat down and explored the site. I might find myself using this site quite often. I can see where a lot of creativity can be seen by using Flickr.

Since it seems fitting, I decided to use this picture entitled "Chocolate Fountain!" from Flickr Creative Commons. Simply delicious!

Thing # 3 - Setting Up Blog and Avatar

I have had a blast setting up my blog and creating my avatar. I keep going back either adding or deleting to my blog. Just trying to organize my thoughts...I love creating avatars. I was introduced to avatars by the Technology Integration Specialist at the high school where I work and I have been hooked ever since. Had a little trouble with the avatar "not showing up" but once I went back and read the directions (when all else fails, read the directions) everything was okay. I have looked at several of the other blogs and what an awesome job everyone is doing.

Thing # 2 - Thoughts on 7 1/2 Habit

I consider myself a lifelong learner. Everyday in itself is a learning experience. I found that for me the hardest habit is #2 (Accepting responsibility for your learning). In order for me to get started I had to peruse the activities and organize my thoughts and that was time consuming. The easiest habit for me is #7 1/2 (Play). Like I said, once I have my thoughts organized I am off and running. I learn better by doing and this course will help me learn more about the emerging technologies that are upon us. I look forward to sharing my new skills with teachers and students during the upcoming school year.